KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE, AND PRACTICE IN MANAGEMENT OF PATIENTS WITH MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS IN EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS IN MAKKAH REGION OF SAUDI ARABIA

Background:Medical and psychiatric emergencies both have the potential to be life-threatening. Due to insufficient training or an unintelligible referral policy routine, many emergency physicians believe mental health illnesses to be a significant burden in health care

Aim:This study aimed to analyze emergency physicians Knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors toward dealing with patients with mental health illnesses in the Makkah region of Saudi Arabia.

Methods:a cross-sectional study was conducted on 152 emergency physicians in the Makkah region of Saudi Arabias hospitals. Data was collected from emergency physicians via an online questionnaire sent through social media platforms and self-administration surveys via data collectors.

Results::74% of 152 emergency physicians have seen a mentally ill patient needing treatment. Only 50% of participants utilized tools to diagnose individuals with mental health illnesses, while their personal experiences influenced 54%. 65% of emergency physicians have seen that families may not graciously accept advice for a psychiatric referral, implying that there may be a stigma associated with mental health illnesses, which may impair patient management.

Conclusion:The majority have had previous experience and exposure and believe they have an essential role in diagnosing mental health disorders (MHD). However, other results show that participants lack professionalism as they are influenced by their personal experiences when treating MHD. Participants were concerned regarding the lack of time and training that affected the management provided in ER. Efforts to improve the movement in residency periods, as well as the referral policy, are advised.